The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-04-17
DRAMATIC AND LYRIC.
The Close of Booths Brilliant
Engagement.
CARLETON KEEPS UP THE BOOM
Lyrics Opinion of Hamlet-BoOth' e
Iago Sketches OF the Great
Actor-Carleton and Ermfnie.

Booth appeared again as Hamlet
yesterday afternoon to fine audience,
all Of whom paid night prices. He gave
most magnificent delineation, though
the performance was shortened con-
siderably by the omission of the
advice to the players and other speeches.
In the audience were considerable
Populations of people from Ogden,
Provo, Brigham City and Logan. The
veteran old actor, T. A. Lyme, who
played innumerable times with the
elder Booth fifty years ago, and who
last saw Edwin perform when he was
mere STRIPPING, sat on the front row
and listened with wrapt attention
to Booths admirable reading. The old
gentleman heard not word, but he
knew the text thoroughly and was able
to judge Of the merits of the actor
almost as well as if he had his hearing.
To reporter who asked him his opin-
ion he said simply, but comprehen :
sively: ut is past criticism. II is ali
that a mans brains can make of the
character"
Miss Vaders was charming and won
| the usual recall after her mad scene.
The evening brought out tremen-
dous gathering again, one that ran but
few dollars short of the Hamlet house,
| and within $500 of the closing night of
| the great San Francisco season. 1t was q
| brilliant audience, above and below;
gay hats and white ties were seen in
vading the precincts that prior to this
| engagement had been held sacred TO
| the gods; not trace of hoodlumism in
its former home, but everywhere wrapt
| breathlessness and expectancy.
OF course, Booth, though playing the
second part, was the primal figure; of
course, he carried his audience with
| HIM; OF course, nearly every act wit
messed recall. Depicting a character
more detestable than that of the Fienu
himself, one that frequently made his
absorbed their horror in admiration,
and frequently made them applaud
as vociferously as though he were
the incarnation of heroism. The fea-
lures of his. portrayal of Iago. which
compelled the utmost admiration
were the facial display and the per
lection OF his reading; these features
are alwars the strongest Booth has at
his command, but last night they were
made to do wonderful service. The
| inSidious expression, when in the
| famous dialogue with Othello he plants
| the first thorn of the Moor's jealousy,
| the semblance of yirtuous reluctance
with::which he told his story. and the
internal glee painted on his counte-
nance when he saw Othello wrlthing
under the clutch of the greeneyed
monster, were all such as to make the
portrayal stand beyond comparison,
His rendering of the fame US speech,
He who steals my, purse, steals
trash" was a fine instance of his
effectively quiet style of rad ng. As
the last curtain descended, the audience
for farewell glance, and from above
came the oldfashioned cry of speech"
speech" But he merely bowed low
and disappeared. Mr.. Barron made a
very creditable Othello, without be-
coming great one; once or twice he
rose to something near grandeur, and
ne won several very warm recalls. For
a man anything under Booths caliber,
however, Othello is exacting indeed.
Its lofty, tempestous grandeur were
made to stand forth notably, and
on many sides were heard
regrets that Mr.. Booth had not
made his appearance in tn character.
These remarks, as was natural, came
from those who had not seen the play
before, or were unacquainted with the
possibilities of the Moor's character;
those familiar with the tragedy were
well pleased to see Booth do Iago, q
part in which he has won as much
favor as in Hamlet or Bertuccio. What
ought to have been done, was for him
| to do Othello in the afternoon anu 1ago
at night. Miss Vaders was lovable,
sweet, and always excellent Desdemona.
In her death scene at the close her
cries were wonderfully real and moving.
The support showed to good advantage
throughout.
Booth wings his flight from US this
morning. AS we gaze upon our
shrunken pockets we sigh-not for the
shekels they have contained, but that
we cannot go on pouring them into his
Golfers dd lib. Before Booth came, the
probability that he would charge us
$3.50 to see him, struck US aghast, as a
vista of six performances opened up be-
fore our sight. Now that be has come
and gone we understand clearly how he
can charge So so or S., when even such
actors as Barrett or Keene cannot
venture beyond the traditional $1.25.
He needs no press agent, no
three-sheet stands, and the clamor
for passes for Autographs in
windows is a sound strange to
his ears. A simple announcement on
the walls ''Mr. Edwin Booth" aud the
dates Of his coming. Nothing more.
But that is taken up like the signal for
rising, and from mouth to mouth it
goes, until his coming is looked for as
that of the nations Chief Magistrate
would be. Such it is to be famous.
The figures of Booths engagement
tell again the old story of how the
drama is appreciated in Salt Lake. 1t
has been prosperous season for the
star, for his manager, Mr.. Barrett, and
it gives a good send off TO the new own
ors of the theatre. the figures are as
follows.
Tuesday. ......-.-........ St,20U w
Wednesday ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. O00.0
Thursday ..-..--..-.------ V0UU
Saturday matinee. ..'...--........... ] 600
saturday night. l, 900